JF-17B takes flight
A two-seat version of the JF-17/FC-1 Thunder, a warplane jointly
produced by Pakistan and China, took off for its maiden flight on April
27, 2017. The idea behind the project is to develop a relatively
inexpensive fighter at around $25 million per copy that can compete with
the U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Pakistan already has dozens of single-seat JF-17s and has used them
in combat, targeting insurgents in Waziristan. The Chendu-Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex consortium responsible for the jet has secured
limited orders in Myanmar and Nigeria.
The Thunder
has better wings, a more modern Russian-designed RD-93 engine and a
larger nose which can fit China’s KLJ-7 fire-control radar. It doesn’t
have any stealth capability, but it’s maneuverable, fearsome—when
equipped with beyond-visual-range anti-air and anti-ship missiles—and
it’s cheap.
There are some differences apparent with the two-seat version, the
JF-17B. It is porpoise-shaped owing to an extra fuel tank in the dorsal
spine. The vertical stabilizer is larger and shallower, as
IHS Jane’s pointed out, and the overall plane appears to have a slightly longer length.
Most likely, the JF-17B will be primarily flown as a trainer with an
instructor riding in the back. But the tandem-seat variant opens up the
possibility of adding a dedicated navigator, radar intercept officer or
weapons officer similar to the F-15E Strike Eagle or F/A-18F Super
Hornet.
Twin seats are not strictly necessary in modern fighters, but they
can free up workload for surveillance, electronic warfare and attack
missions. Additionally, an extra officer aboard can help in air-to-air
dogfighting by providing an extra set of eyes.
Mainly, it’s functional and not too expensive—and it’s
not American
or dependent on supply chains extending into the United States. That’s
important for Pakistan which has been trying to wean itself off
dependence on U.S. military support.
Other countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America may look to the
JF-17 as a practical warplane for the non-aligned world, or at least an
affordable one. Now there’s a two-seat version to tag along.